Starkers
by phannah17
Summary: In which four girls happen upon four boys in limitied clothing, consequentially causing a spur of relationships to bloom, one between Hogwarts biggest 'prude' and its smarmiest Slytherin.


**AN:** _Hello everyone! This is a totally random story - I don't know what's up with my randomness lately and it's highly improbable as well as most likely being OOC. I don't care much at the moment - I just wrote it for a laugh and with the hope that it would make you guys smile! :) So I hope you enjoy it and it brightens your day. I had fun writing it. Skinny dipping should be mandatory during summer..._

* * *

"Ginny," she hissed, mortification causing her cheeks to flame with a flush that could only rival Ron's. "This is obscene!"

The red-haired girl burst out into muffled laughter as a response, her eyes twinkling madly as they met Hermione's. "Obscene? Merlin, Hermione, you really need to get out more."

Pansy simply snorted, her blue eyes veering into a roll. "Honestly, Granger. I've never in my life met such a prude."

"It's the martial faeries that surround her," Luna supplied helpfully, a dreamy smile on her face as she kept her gaze on the focus of the current conversation. "They tend to make one more resistant to sexual fantas -"

"Enough!" Hermione hissed, completely horrified by the turn of the conversation and unwilling to listen to any more of Luna's ridiculous ramblings. How she had even ended up being with such a bizarre group of girls was something she really didn't care to ponder over. It would give her a headache.

Pansy scoffed. "Oh relax, Granger. As if they haven't done the same thing at some point or another to a group of girls."

"Random, unsuspecting innocent girls who do not deserved to be ogled by perv -"

"Oh shut it, Hermione," Ginny declared crossly, sending her a short glare. "Just enjoy the view and get over it. You could always leave you know."

If at all possible Hermione's cheeks flared an even deeper shade of red. This was possibly the most embarrassing situation she had ever been in.

After the war had ended many of the seventh year students had returned to Hogwarts to finish up the year that was disrupted. Hermione, Pansy, Ginny, and Luna had all been a part of the group of girls in the seventh year who had returned. Somehow over the course of a six months they had managed to become ridiculously good friends.

She had found that Pansy was not the simpering cow she had suspected her of being, but rather one of the most independent, bluntest creatures that she had ever met. Her combined with Ginny's rather forceful personality was quite the interesting combination.

Then there was Luna. She still wasn't entirely sure how the completely barmy girl managed to fit into their little group, but she did. It wouldn't be the same without her and each of the girls were ridiculously fond of her.

"Oh my," Ginny whispered suddenly, falling into a fit of giggles at the same time as Luna. Pansy smirked while Hermione quickly brought her hands up, covering her poor eyes as she began pondering over ways to kill Ginny for getting her into this truly embarrassing situation.

They had been coming back from a late night at Hogsmeade and been tromping through the grounds when Ginny had suddenly wrenched their arms, pulling them down into the bushes. After a stream of curses from Pansy, indignant squawks from Hermione, and a cheerful 'nargles' from Luna, Ginny had frantically hushed them, pointing to the site that they were still staring at.

Harry, Ron, Blaise, and Draco were all completely starkers, swimming in the lake and splashing each other with glee as if they were five year old children rather than 18 and 19 year old men.

Needless to say she found it more than a little disturbing to see two of the boys she now considered like brothers naked, not to mention seeing the two best looking men from Slytherin in all their glory. What was even more disturbing was that she was continually feeling the need to fan herself every time she _accidentally_ looked in Malfoy's direction. She had always known that he was good-looking, but had managed to relentlessly force any of those thoughts from her mind. Now, however, thanks to Ginny, she was finding those thoughts to be a wee bit more difficult to push back.

"Blaise rather reminds me of a jangon," Luna said suddenly, keeping her eyes on his frame. "The slim muscles and black hair are the major charac -"

"Can you stop with your crazy talk for one moment of your life?" Pansy interrupted, annoyance stamped on her features as she pushed Luna away. "I would really prefer to ogle without your bizarre ideas interrupting my pleasure."

"Me too," Ginny replied, nodding her head in agreement and then suddenly grinning as she moved a bit forward. "Holy Merlin, look at Harr- ARGH!"

"No!" Hermione and Pansy screamed at the same time as Ginny tripped over a branch on the ground, flailing forward and letting out one ear piercing shriek.

A ringing silence followed the yell as Ginny landed rather ungracefully on the ground. Slowly, Hermione raised her horrified gaze up and saw four stunned boys staring at their hiding spot. With something akin to a whimper, she attempted to take a giant step back and found herself tripping on her own branch. Squealing, she met the same fate as Ginny and landed hard on her arse.

Pansy huffed at the display, rolling her eyes and placing her hands on her hips as she turned back to face the boys. "Well it's your fault!" She yelled finally. "What did you expect us to do when seeing four boys naked together in a lake? _Obviously_ we were going to watch."

That being said she turned around and roughly pulled up both Hermione and Ginny, scoffing at their red faces and pulling them back towards the school. Luna smiled dreamily at the boys, sending them one last wave before trotting after the girls.

Luna decided, this was obviously the result of the lemaines. They often prompted people to take their clothes off.

* * *

Oh she was horrified. Absolutely mortified by what they had done. Honestly, they had spied on four boys, two of whom were her best friends, while they were naked! It was humiliating in retrospect and she could feel a flush rising to her face just thinking about it. Not to mention the fact that the next class she had was potions and all four of them were in it, which was the reason why she was now dreadfully late. She had almost given in to the urge to skip, something she had never done before, but found she was unable to do it. Her conscience had gotten the better of her.

"Ms. Granger!" Slughorn exclaimed as she walked into the classroom, a look of astonishment on his face. "Do you have an excuse for being so late?"

She shifted nervously, looking down at the floor. "No, sir."

"Well." He paused, looking momentarily shocked. "Five points off of Gryffindor for the tardy. I'm rather surprised by you, Ms. Granger."

She frowned, still keeping her eyes on the ground. "Sorry, Professor."

He smiled, not unkindly, and shook his head. "That's alright my dear. Let's just not have my best student being late anymore, eh?" Pausing briefly he surveyed the room and then turned back towards her. "You may take a seat next to Mr. Malfoy."

Oh God. The world was against her.

She could feel herself flushing as she momentarily gaped at Slughorn.

"I say Ms. Granger," Slughorn said with a tinge of concern, "are you quite all right?"

"Er…yes," she replied, her voice coming out as a squeak, "just fine, Sir." With that she scurried over towards Malfoy, resolutely keeping her face away from his amused gaze.

She hated life.

Draco grinned to himself, sending a quick glance in Blaise's direction and saw that his friend was smiling rather wickedly as well. The two of them had been amused by the whole situation the other night, rather than embarassed. After all, they had been rather inebriated when the four of them decided to discard their clothes. Draco vaguely remembered a dare involving the giant squid, but eventually they had just ended up declaring war and proceeded in their attempts to drown one another, until they heard Ginny's shriek followed by Pansy's rather blunt statement.

The Weasel had turned as red as his hair and spluttered for a half hour with embarrassment while Potter had just looked resigned and said something along the lines of it not being anything Ginny hadn't seen before. That had caused the ever blundering side-kick to have yet another heart attack while he and Blaise doubled over with laughter.

What was most interesting about the whole thing, however, was the fact that Granger had appeared to have been looking in his direction once their little hiding place was revealed. He knew that might be wishful thinking on his part, considering the fact that he had tried by whatever means possible to get her attention since third year, but a small part of him insisted that it wasn't.

He leaned back in his chair, studying the wild-haired girl on his left. She was clearly attempting to not look at him, but the blush on her face signified that her thoughts were still centering around last night. He grinned, pleased at the idea of her imagining him with no clothing, and leaned closer until he was only a breath away from her ear.

"Did you like what you saw, Granger?"

She jumped almost a foot in the air, letting out a shrill squeak that had Slughorn stopping what he was doing and looking towards her with concern. Blaise attempted to disguise his chuckles with a series of coughs while Draco smirked. Hermione, her face pitch red, slowly sank down into her seat until her head was almost under the table.

"Really, Ms. Granger," Slughorn broke in, a mixture of exasperation and concern laced within his voice. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"My fault, Professor," Draco replied easily, drawing the Professor's attention towards himself. "I accidentally stepped on Ms. Granger's foot. Startled her a bit, you see."

"Oh." Slughorn stared at him suspiciously, but after meeting only a blank gaze in return shrugged. "Well, watch where you're placing your feet then Mr. Malfoy."

"Will do, sir," he responded with a curt nod. This time both Harry and Blaise chuckled. Hermione continued to keep her face resolutely turned away from his.

After several minutes of Slughorn resuming his lecture, Draco leaned in once again. "You didn't answer my question, Granger," he breathed quietly, making sure to let his lips linger by her ear.

Hermione stiffened, but this time managed not to jump. Sending him a chilling glare, she called on all her acting skills to merely look at him with disdain. "About liking what I saw?" She whispered quietly in return. Draco grinned, flipping a quill idly through his fingers as he nodded. She allowed her eyes to slowly run up and down his body. With a smirk of her own, she tossed her hair behind her back and raised one brow with mock amusement. "I've seen better."

She didn't know what had possessed her to say that because she certainly hadn't - although she'd rather _die_ than admit that - but she was immensely pleased with Malfoy's reaction. His eyes narrowed, his expression darkening and the amusement fleeing from his face as he leaned back.

"Oh really?" He asked coolly, his mouth tightening. "And just who have you seen that's so much better, Granger? I know it's not the Weasel." Hermione's amused snort had some of his anger fading. "So who else could it be? Unless you're referring to that imbecile Bulgarian."

His expression once again darkened as he thought of that clumsy seeker, his mood quickly souring at the idea of he being the one Hermione had seen. Fucking sallow-skinned, beak-nosed pansy…

"Viktor?" Hermione asked with astonishment, her voice a bit louder than she had intended. Quickly quieting she sent Draco a look of horror. "I was only _fifteen_ when I knew him and he was three years older than me! How on earth would I have seen him without," she blushed despite her valiant efforts not to, "clothing."

Draco's first flood of relief immediately disappeared as he considered any other possibilities. "Well then who the fuck are you talking about, Granger?"

She blinked at him, taken aback by the anger in his tone before desperately trying to come up with someone else. Honestly, what could she say? She hadn't ever seen any boys naked, unless you counted last night and that one magazine Ginny had insisted they look through that time - but that was another story entirely. Her cheeks darkened just from the thought as she looked around the room wondering who she could say was better looking than Malfoy. Certainly not Harry or Ron, that would just be wrong. So who…

Her gaze landed on a dark-haired boy in the corner and slowly her mouth curved upwards, a triumphant smile on her face as she looked back towards Malfoy who was waiting impatiently for her answer. "Zabini." At the look of disbelief on his face, her grin widened. "Blaise Zabini."

Time finally on her side, the class ended just as she finished her sentence. Jumping up, she quickly grabbed her bag and fled the classroom, a spurt of amused giggles escaping her as she recalled Malfoy's stunned expression.

Life was sweet.

He couldn't believe it. She thought that Blaise, his best mate, was better looking than he was? He turned towards the boy in question, his eyes narrowing as he looked him over. Sure Blaise was good-looking in that whole Italian dark-haired, blue-eyed, type of way, but he was Draco Malfoy! Blonde, lithe, and rich! He growled unhappily, swinging his book bag over his shoulder. He would show her who was better-looking.

* * *

Ron had always disliked his skin. It was rather pasty and freckled, but what bothered him the most was how easily it managed to turn red. Any type of strong emotion he was experiencing ended up with his face flaming in a most unattractive way. Right at the moment, he was a mixture of pure embarrassment and nervous anxiety as a result of one very attractive dark-haired Slytherin.

Pansy Parkinson was without a doubt one of the meanest women he had ever met in his life. She constantly belittled him, insulted his hair color, referred to him as the Weasel, and continually managed to fluster him into a state of complete stupidity. She had the biggest blue eyes he had ever seen and somehow he ended up not caring that she was insulting everything about him as long as she was speaking to him.

"I realize that you're a little slow on the up-take, Weasel," she broke in snidely, "but could you please perform the spell so that I can take my turn sometime this century."

He flushed again, nervously twirling his wand and then jumping back when several unforeseen sparks shot out the end. Pansy rolled her eyes and he shuffled his feet uncertainly.

Normally he was a bit more calm around her, but the fact of the matter was that he couldn't just speak to her after she had seen him completely starkers. Honestly, what was he supposed to say to her? What did she think of him? Had she thought he was disgusting or had she maybe, kind of, thought he was alright without clothing on? He flushed again at the thought, sending her a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. If only he knew the answer to that…

"Honestly, Weasel," Pansy snapped, pursing her lips together with irritation, "what is your problem today?"

He groped desperately for an answer. "Er - I was just wondering, you see - that is - if maybe, you - uh - I don't know - thought that - maybe - er"

"Merlin's beard!" Pansy shouted, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Just spit it out, Ron!"

It was the Ron that did it. "I was wondering if you thought that I looked alright." His face flamed again. "Last night that is."

She stared at him for a moment, her expression verging from stunned to considering before she sent him a smile that had his head spinning. "I thought you looked good enough to jump, Weasel."

He blinked. "Oh, well then that's - that's quite all right then, I suppose -"

She sighed, shaking her head and realizing that she was going to have to do everything herself in this relationship. "Want to go find a broom closet and snog?"

"I -" She was beginning to find that blush endearing. "Yes."

"Good." She grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the classroom and ignoring the Professor's and student's questioning gazes.

She was going to make Ron Weasley, blushing cheeks and all, hers.

* * *

Blaise personally felt that Luna Lovegood was rather odd. Hott - in a fairy, waif, type of way - but odd all the same. Her eyes were a sort of silver color, misty almost, and had a way of looking at a person that made them feel kind of tingly.

His lips curled with self-disgust. Slytherins did not feel tingly.

"Hello Blaise Zabini," she said dreamily, taking a seat across from him. He raised a brow in greeting then promptly looked back towards his book. She appeared to be unperturbed by his less than friendly attitude. "The jangons are in their mating season."

He put his book down carefully, slowly raising his eyes to meet hers as he tried to hide his amusement. He really shouldn't find her so entertaining when she was completely barmy. "Is that so?"

"Didn't you know that already?" She asked him, a bit of worry in her usually vacant voice.

He cocked his head to the side. "No…"

"Oh no!" She cried out, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Blaise Zabini, don't you know what happens to the jangons when they don't mate?"

He was feeling decidedly confused in this conversation, but decided to play along for reasons that alluded him. "What happens?"

She leaned forward, her eyes wide and expressive. "They die."

"Really?" He couldn't help the small grin that crossed his face. "I guess the jangons better make sure they find a mate then."

"Yes," she returned evenly, continuing to watch him in that slightly disturbing way of hers. He shifted uneasily, unsure of what else to say when she spoke up again, "I'll be yours."

"Excuse me?" He asked, his mouth falling open as she smiled serenely at him.

"I'll be your mate," she replied easily. "We'll have to go to the Forbidden forest though because the jangons mating needs to occur in an outside magical area since -"

"Luna!" He interrupted loudly, feeling for the first time in his life heat rising to his cheeks as he quickly glanced around the library for prying ears. "I don't know where you got this insane idea, but I am _not_ a jangon. I don't even know what the fuck a jangon is."

"Of course you are silly," Luna responded with a smile. "You've got all the characteristics of one."

"I am not!" He protested loudly, embarrassment coursing through him and, much to his disgust, a small tinge of arousal. Had the girl really been offering to have sex with him? He shifted, feeling his pants tightening at the thought. He refused to be attracted to this crazy Ravenclaw. "I assure you of that Luna, but - uh - thank you for the offer anyway."

Luna sighed, standing up and offering a hand to him. "Normally jangons aren't aware of what they are, Blaise Zabini. You're lucky I can recognize one."

He stared at her small hand and gulped nervously. He knew his face was flaming and that alone should have been enough reason to hate her. Slytherins were not supposed to get embarrassed, but for some reason he was finding the attraction he had long hid for the girl raring up within him. He had to be perverse, he decided with a sigh, to find himself lusting after the craziest girl in school. "Luna," he said weakly, a last ditch effort at saving them both, "this isn't a good idea."

"Of course it is," she contradicted, that same ridiculous smile on her face. "I wouldn't want you to die, Blaise Zabini."

He stood up awkwardly, deciding that he would have to be insane to let this kind of chance go. He was still a Slytherin after all, even if he was a questionable one. "It's Blaise, Luna." Her smile turned into a beam that he found himself returning in kind. "Do you - erm - help jangons often?" The flash of jealousy was as unexpected as the surge of possessiveness.

"Oh no," she replied with wide eyes. "You're the first and you'll have to be the last you know."

"Really?" He questioned quietly, finding himself reaching down to take his hand in her own. "Why's that?"

"Jangons only have one mate for life," she explained calmly. "We'll just have to do this fairly often."

He realized that he probably should have run away from her, gotten as much space as he possibly could between them, but instead he found himself smiling like a stupid Hufflepuff and tightening his grip on her hand.

Somehow that just didn't sound all that bad.

* * *

"Oh Gods, Ginny," Harry gasped as she settled next to him, a satisfied smile on her face. He rolled over, spooning her against him as he let out a few shuddering breaths. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

Ginny grinned, playfully flipping over so that she landed on top of him. "Oh I don't know," she replied lightly, gently running her hand across his chest. "Maybe saving the world from an evil Dark Lord?"

He grinned roguishly, pulling her flush against him. "I suppose there is that." It was so nice, he thought as he gently kissed the top of her head, to be able to laugh again after everything that had happened. Ginny was one of the only people who could make him do that.

She shifted on top of him and he groaned as he felt another part of him beginning to come to life. She smirked in a decidedly devilish way and purposefully shifted again. "So," she began, allowing her hand to wander downwards. She grinned as he gasped. "We saw you out in the lake."

"Yeah," he returned breathlessly, bucking slightly against her. "We saw you too."

"I think Hermione likes Draco."

Nothing could have put him out of the mood faster. With a jerk, he shot up, accidentally knocking Ginny - who gave a cry of protest - off of him. "What?" He shouted, staring at her with shock. "What did you just say?"

She rolled her eyes at his dramatics, shooting him a disgruntled look as she wrapped the blanket around her. "I said that I think Hermione likes Draco."

Harry stared at her for a moment before shaking his head in denial. "No way, Ginny. Absolutely no way. Hermione and Ron -"

"Broke up three months ago," Ginny interrupted, once again rolling her eyes. "Honestly Harry, they've both moved on from that. It's time you did too."

With that she got up, allowing the blanket to drop as she reached to grab some of her clothes. It was a sign of Harry's utter distress that he failed to notice her state of dress. "I can't believe that. I just thought that -"

"That Hermione and Ron would end up together just like you and I would and then we would all be one big happy family," Ginny broke in, snapping her bra in place. The hard look on her face softened substantially at Harry's unhappy expression. "Oh Harry," she murmured gently, cupping the side of his with her hand. "They're still you're best friends and you know they wouldn't have worked out. The argue too much as friends the way it is."

"Yeah, I know," Harry replied quietly, "I just sort of hoped -"

"It would all work out," Ginny finished with a small smile. She leaned in to brush a soft kiss on the top of his forehead. "I think they'd be good together though."

"Hermione and Ron?" Harry asked, his tone laced with confusion.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "No, you dimwit. Hermione and Draco."

"Oh." Harry thought it over for a moment, forcing himself to remember that he and Draco had become rather good friends as of late. "I suppose they're both rather stubborn."

Ginny grinned. "And intelligent."

"What about Ron, though?" Harry questioned worriedly. "Don't you think he'll be upset?"

Ginny snorted. "Ron's a bit too interested in Parkinson right now to care about what Hermione's doing."

"Pansy!?" Harry shouted in astonishment, his expression so stunned that Ginny burst out laughing. "Ron fancies Pansy?"

Ginny's sniggers continued for several more moments before she could reply. "Yes, Harry. Honestly, you may have saved the wizarding world but when it comes to relationships you're absolutely hopeless."

Harry thought it over for a moment before a small gleam came into his eyes that had Ginny surveying him warily. "Hopeless?" He repeated easily, standing up in all his glory and taking a step towards her.

Ginny took a step back, raising her hands up in mock self-defense. "Harry, I don't have time for this right now."

The gleam in his eyes grew brighter. "Oh really?"

He lunged forward just as she made a move to run away, tackling her to the ground. She emitted a shriek of laughter as they landed together, a tangle of limbs. Harry grinned at her laughing face before abruptly pressing his lips to hers in a searing kiss.

After a moment she simply melted, wrapping her arms around his neck and gently leaning forward. His capable hands swiftly undid the bra she had managed to put on as he smiled against her mouth.

"Are you sure I'm hopeless?" He asked teasingly, one hand brushing against her bare skin in a manner that caused her to gasp.

"I don't know," she murmured breathlessly, "I think I need some more convincing."

Harry's grin grew wider as he stood up, reaching down and pulling her into his arms. He dropped her onto the bed and crawled on top, those green eyes that she had come to love filled with amusement. "I guess I'll just have to convince you then."

He proceeded to do just that for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

Hermione was disturbed.

Each one of her three friends had shown up in her head dorm practically glowing. Ginny she could understand since she had noticed both she and Harry had missed all their afternoon classes. Luna and Pansy, on the other hand, she was extremely confused about.

"Er," she watched uneasily as Luna practically floated across the room. "You alright there Luna?"

"Of course she is," Pansy replied with a grin. "She and Blaise missed Care of Magical Creatures together."

Hermione gaped while Ginny snorted and Luna beamed. "You and Blaise?" She asked with astonishment. For some reason Ginny began laughing even harder while Luna simply smiled.

"We're mates," Luna responded serenely, "for life."

Hermione choked, erupting into a small fit of coughs while Ginny began sniggering and Pansy grinned. "For life? Are you sure about that?"

"Oh yes," Luna replied enthusiastically, shaking her head up and down. "Blaise told me I was not to help any other jangons after we came back."

Pansy waggled her eyebrows suggestively in Ginny's direction while Hermione rolled her eyes. "Did he now?" Pansy purred, amusement evident on her face. "How very interesting…"

"Alright," Hermione cut in, hoping to save Luna the embarrassment. "Well now that we know why Luna's so happy - what's your story?"

Pansy grinned happily, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers. "Luna's not the only one who got laid."

"Pansy!" Hermione shrieked, throwing a pillow at her while Ginny continued laughing insanely in the corner. "Could you please refrain from being so crude?"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Granger," Pansy retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Would you prefer it if I said that I performed sexual activities with Ronald Weasley in the broom closest next to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room?"

Hermione's mouth fell open and Ginny looked as though she might be sick. "Merlin, Pansy, that's my brother. I really did not need to hear that."

"Exactly," Hermione agreed fervently. "That's just wrong."

"You dated him!" Pansy cried out. "How can you possibly say that?"

Hermione blushed. "Yeah and the one time I kissed him was when I thought we were going to _die _in the next few hours! I didn't want to die without having been kissed and Harry was already taken!"

Ginny grinned. "Damn straight he was taken."

"I brushed my teeth for hours once I got home," Hermione continued with a slightly disgusted expression. "I have never done anything that felt so wrong in my entire life. It was like making out with my father."

Even Luna looked slightly disgusted.

"Exactly."

"Well," Pansy interrupted, her voice slightly faint but quickly regaining its original strength. "I can assure you that it wasn't like that for me." Her eyes gleamed wickedly. "In fact -"

"No!" Hermione and Ginny shouted simultaneously, raising their hands to their ears.

Pansy sighed, sinking back against the chair with an annoyed expression. "You guys are no fun."

Luna smiled. "It's the kenmars fault. They tend to suck the fun out of people's souls."

Hermione blinked.

"Anyway…"

"So I guess you're the only one who didn't get any action today, Granger," Pansy concluded, her smile slightly vicious.

Hermione glared. "Shut up, Parkinson."

"Make me." Pansy stuck out her tongue.

Hermione pulled out her wand threatingly. "Maybe I will."

Ginny stood in between them quickly. "Oh for Pete's sake, calm down. Pansy stop being rude and Hermione ignore her."

"Hey!" Pansy exclaimed indignantly. Ginny simply rolled her eyes. "Fine," she grumbled, once again sinking back into her chair. "Like I care what you stupid Gryffindor's say anyway."

"Which explains why you hang out with us," Hermione replied with a grin, quickly overcoming her previous anger. Pansy sniffed haughtily before returning the grin.

"Alright, whatever. I'm only trying to help you, Granger."

"Help me?" Hermione questioned skeptically.

"Yes, Pansy replied agreeably. "You need to release some of that sexual tension you're carrying around. It's making you're hair frizzy."

"No that's actually a result of the -"

"Shut up, Lovegood!" Pansy interrupted, sending her a warning glare. Ginny snickered and Hermione reluctantly smiled. Luna hummed contentedly as she fell silent.

"Anyway," Pansy continued, "what I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted -" she shot a pointed look at Luna who ignored her, "was that you really need to find a guy." She leaned back with a smile. "And I know the perfect one for you."

"Oh really?" Hermione asked with amusement. "And who would this perfect guy be?"

"Draco."

Surprinsgly, Hermione was the only one who burst out laughing. When she realized everyone else was quiet she looked around with disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I am," Pansy replied airily, "you're practically perfect for each other."

Hermione gaped for a moment before turning towards Ginny. "Ginny, talk some sense into her."

The red-headed girl shrugged her shoulders sheepishly. "Actually Hermione, I was thinking the same thing."

"What?!" Hermione squawked indignantly, her expression verging on shocked. "Draco and I? You two can't be serious! We hate each other!"

"Oh please," Pansy retorted with an amused snort. "Whatever the two of you have going on between each other is certainly not hate. Draco stares at you twenty four seven and last night you were practically going into convulsions over him."

Hermione blushed. "I most certainly was not," she responded heatedly, her face still flaming.

Ginny grinned. "I don't see what the big deal is Hermione. Harry even thinks the two of you would probably be good for each other -"

"Harry!" Hermione squeaked. "Harry said that Malfoy and I would be good together?"

"Seems like Potter's finally had a good idea after all."

Hermione froze at the drawl from behind her, her back going stiff as she recognized the voice. Pansy and Ginny grinned at each other before promptly standing up.

"We should go Hermione," Ginny said suddenly, grabbing Luna who was staring off into space and pulling her towards the door. "We'll see you later."

"Yeah, later Granger!" Pansy chirped happily, running after the two.

Hermione stared at them with hatred. Traitors.

The slamming of the door behind them left a ringing silence that she grew increasingly nervous in. Flustered, she quickly jumped up and began to head towards her personal room. Malfoy darted in front of her, blocking the staircase with ease.

She scowled, attempting to get by him and failing miserably. He stared down at her with a pensive expression. "We need to talk, Granger."

"No we don't," she returned easily. "Let me by."

"No." He grabbed at the wrists that had attempted to push him and pulled her towards the couch. She glared mutinously as he shoved her down then sat on the table across from her, still keeping his grip firmly on her wrists. "Did you mean what you said?"

"What?" She questioned angrily, still attempting to pull her wrists free without success.

"About Zabini," he growled angrily. "Did you mean what you said?"

She gave another yank that he completely ignored. "That's none of your business, Malfoy."

Some of his annoyance faded as he shifted forward so that they were just a bit closer. "Actually, Granger, it is my business."

"Oh really?" Hermione questioned wryly. "And how do you figure that?"

"I figure that," he replied quietly, pulling her another inch forward, "because I rather like you Granger and I would like to know what blokes must die before I can convince you that you like me as well."

She stared at him for a moment before asking, "What?"

He grinned, amused by the astonishment on her face. "I said that I like you, Granger."

"No you don't," she returned stupidly, vaguely realizing that he was pulling her forward again. "You hate me."

"Sorry to disappoint," he responded easily, "but I don't."

"Why?"

He was surprised enough by that question that he momentarily forgot about his plan to pull her forward until she was on his lap and he could snog her senseless, the way he had wanted to since she slapped him in third year. "Because, Granger, you're witty, intelligent, incredibly brave, endearingly loyal, and rather lovely." He smiled, a true smile that had her returning a timid one of her own before continuing. "I've spent about five years liking you and I don't expect you to say the same for me nor for you to necessarily forgive everything I've done to you, but I would like a chance with you. A chance to show that I'm different than what you seem to think."

For the first time since she had known him, Malfoy looked nervous. He released one of her hands to run his it through his hair.

She smiled slightly at the gesture before thinking the whole thing over. She had to admit that she was attracted to him. He was amazingly good-looking with unusual silver eyes and perfect hair that she was more than a little envious of. Plus, he had become rather good friends with Harry and Ron. She didn't know the whole story there, but she assumed that if he could win Ron over than perhaps he wasn't as bad as any of them imagined.

"Okay," she said finally, sending him a small grin. "You can have a chance."

Within a second, he gave into the urge, and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her against him. She let out a startled squeak that he quickly silenced by pressing his lips against her own.

It was everything he had always imagined it would be. With a groan, he wrapped one hand around her neck, the other burying itself in her surprisingly soft hair. His lips deftly moved across her own, his tongue reaching out to gently prod them open. If he hadn't been sitting he would have sank with pleasure when she finally opened them, her own tongue tentatively coming out to prod against his own. Growling, he pulled her closer against him, his lips moving down to trace her jaw line.

Hermione sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck and delighting in the fact that she was finally understanding what a real kiss felt like. This was lovely, she thought with a smile. Absolutely lovely. "Draco," she murmured, her head falling back as he kissed her neck. Abruptly, his lips came back up to slam against her own. She bit back a gasp as the intensity of the kiss deepened.

He pulled back reluctantly, aware that if he didn't stop now he might not be able to at all. Breathing heavily, he rested his forehead against her own and pulled her body against his so that they were both sitting on the couch.

He grinned at her slightly dreamy expression and decided to take advantage of the moment. "So did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" She asked dazedly, raising her eyes to meet his.

"About Zabini," he growled, tightening his hold.

She stared at him for a moment before laughing. "No. Why? Where you jealous?"

The playful teasing in her voice had him reluctantly smiling back. "Maybe. A bit."

She smiled and snuggled closer towards him. "He is rather attractive though." At his small noise of displeasure she laughed again. "Don't worry. He's with Luna."

"Oh." He thought it over for a moment and then grinned slightly. "That explains a lot."

"What do you mean?" She questioned, wrinkling her brow.

Draco smirked. "Blaise was babbling something about nargles in his sleep two years ago. When I asked him about it later he turned a rather unusual shade of red."

Hermione burst out laughing, the sound causing Draco's heart to do a completely un-Slytherin flop. "What an odd pair. Not as odd as Pansy and Ron though."

There was completely silence for a moment before…

"WHAT?!"

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Blaise asked the girl next to him, shaking her shoulder slightly to wake her.

Luna smiled sleepily. "Probably just the grakions."

"Oh." He sank down next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her against him.

Luna snuggled closer. She didn't know what that boy would do without her.


End file.
